Design School KoldingDK: DESIS LabDenmarkProject Team: Jacqueline De Abrew, Maja Lindstrøm Freese

TACTUSVisual and Tactile Dialogue Tool for Children

Promoter(s).Marielund Special School Lab for Social Innovation, Design School Kolding

Funder(s).THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS

Aknowledgements.To the teachers, pedagogues and childen at Marienlund School

Context.Marielund School is a newly established special school welcoming 95 new pupils in August 2017. All the pupils have socio-emotionally challenges and therefore,the school needs a particular accommodating learning environment. It is of pivotal importance that the pupils learn to express feelings and needs in order to cope in the real world later in life.

The Project.A dialogue tool using tactile elements to empower children with cognitive challenges to express thoughts and feelings.

The design Process.The project is developed in close collaboration with psychologist Lene Kiel Jespersen, and with employees and children at Marielund School.All collaborations have been pivotal both for understanding the challenges and to secure anchoring and implementation of the tool from the very beginning.

The aim of TACTUS is to create a tool, that supports the pupils at the school in being vital through the correct learning. TACTUS enables pupils with socio-emotional challenges to attend common schools to the point where

ff h M i l d S h l b fl

Children Empowerment

Co-Design

Governance and Policy Making

Activism and Civic Participation

The project is designed in collaboration with pedagogues divided into control groups and working groups constantly qualifying the project progression

Designed and Qualified with the Pedagogues and Children

The employees at Marielund School use three hour each week on conversation with the children and their families. A lot of efforts are put into listening and implicate the children in the dialogue, which is very difficult due to

Interaction and Collaboration Between Home and School

Social Interactions and Relations

TACTUS uses tactile elements to supports the children in telling about incidents, expressing feelings and start reflections. It is a huge help for both pedagogues and parents and supports them in finding the correct approach t d th hild

Support Coherence Between School and Home

Dialogue Tool

People Empowerment

Skill Training and Design Education

The project is all about storytelling and visualization, which has been the ongoing approach through the project process. Constantly asking the question of which products best catch the emotions at present and thereby, support the expression and conversation

Tactility

Creation of Visual Storyboards

Storytelling and Visualisation

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Direct link to all projectsin our DK: DESIS Lab:

https://www.designskolenkolding.dk/en/lab-social-inclusion

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Design School KoldingDK: DESIS LabDenmark